"The instrumentalists exuded energy, excitement, colour and virtuosic flair in their playing" "Gusarov played brilliantly, with lots of attention to detail" BACHTRACK

Kammerphilharmonie Europa or Chamber Orchestra Europe is an orchestra of talented young musicians recruited from 18 European nations. Founded in Cologne in 2006 by Russian-born Leonid Tritus, it has achieved an outstanding artistic level and tours widely across Europe.

In this concert Kirill Gusarov (trumpet) and Michel Gershwin (violin) will showcase their talent in two diverse concertos and the nine-member ensemble will treat us to some well-loved repertoire. The Holst suite, written for the school orchestra at St Paul's School in Hammersmith, must have been quite a challenge: tuneful throughout, its final movement ends with Greensleeves. The Divertimento in F major in contrast was written by the teenage Mozart for adult players and features a beautiful central Andante.

Concert Review

Diversity and virtuosity at the Ilkley Concert Club

The Kammerphilharmonie Europa – nine versatile and talented musicians - are drawn widely from across the world. They delighted with the quality of their ensemble playing and their individual virtuosity as soloists. The programme was wide-ranging and the group impressed overall with their ability to respond to the demands of each style and reach the emotional heart of the music. It was good to see them filling the stage of the King's Hall!

The first half of the concert featured two contrasting concerti. Kyrill Gusarov (trumpet) gave a polished performance of the Hummel concerto. He produced a wonderfully sweet legato in the aria-like slow movement while being more than capable of the lightness and agility demanded by the final rondo. Pawel Zuzanski (violin) showed great virtuosity in Bach's A minor concerto, setting some exhilarating tempi in the outer movements and showing smoothness of line in the central Andante.

Zusanski's playing reminded us too that the soloist in these Bach concerti is only one amongst equals, the dialogue between soloist and the other strings being a vital component of the performance.

An elegant account of the Divertimento in F K138 by the teenage Mozart opened the second half. It was followed by a string arrangement of Fauré's Pavane. The opening solo (normally for flute) was executed beautifully by the cellist, Dmitri Gornovsky, and led to an absorbing and impassioned performance. In both this and the Holst which followed special credit should be given to the warm tone of the viola soloist, Ariane Alexander.

In Holst's St Paul's Suite the Kammerphilharmonie produced a performance of great rhythmic vitality and attack – fortes which belied their numbers and soft pizzicati of amazing precision – which rounded off the advertised concert in a rousing fashion.

The audience had given the players warm encouragement throughout and were now rewarded by encores in which the group let their hair down, including Astor Piazzolla's 'Oblivion' and a ragtime 'Souvenir' by Victor Poltoratsky. A great way to end an excellent evening!

CJS

The following recordings were recommended in the concert programme

Wolf

A cheap, all Hugo Wolf, CD from Warner Apex 09274 95822 is performed by the Orchestre de Paris conducted by Daniel Barenboim. The other ítems on the disc are Penthesilia, Der Corregidor-Prelude & Fugue, and Scherzo & Finale. The recording quality is good.

Hummel

The fabulous trumpet player Haken Hardenberger, accompanied by the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields and Neville Marriner, performs "Famous Classical Trumpet Concertos". Recording quality is excellent, and the Decca 2 disc set 464 028 is at budget price.

The English Sinfonia conducted by Howard Griffiths performs an all Holst disc from Naxos 8.570339 (budget price). The couplings are the Brook Green Suite, A Song of the Night, Lyric Movement, Fugal Concerto and Concerto for 2 Violins.Fauré Neville Marriner conducts the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields on a budget priced CD from Decca 428 3354. The Fauré couplings are the Requiem, Pelléas et Melisande Suite and Cantique de Jean Racine.

Mozart

A Budget Price Harmonia Mundi disc, HMA 195 1809, includes the three Divertimentos K. 136-138 and the Serenata Notturna. Petra Mullejans conducts the Freiburger Barockorchester, who perform on period instruments.

Raymond Waud.

Club Notes for this Concert

MORE VOLUNTEERS NEEDEDThe interval coffee and tea in the Winter Garden is served by volunteers from the Club Membership. There is a reason why the queues have been so long in recent concerts—we have lost some of our long-standing volunteers. We need more volunteers please; you will be asked to do this duty for only one or two concerts each Season. (We pay students to prepare and clear up before and after the interval.)

The organiser of this service is Godfrey Higgins so do please contact him if you are able to help out—you'll meet new friends! Please email
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or phone 01943 603861.

OUR AUDIENCE & HOW YOU CAN HELPI was really pleased to see so few empty seats at the superb concert by the Brodsky's whose violist Paul Cassidy wrote "On Ilkley Moor bar none!" Ilkley is a shining example of what a music society can achieve. A remarkable line up of concerts in a wonderfully characterful hall overflowing with enthusiastic and knowledgeable people of all ages. A musical gem!!

We all have other things in our lives and you may sometimes have to miss a concert. If you know that you won't be able to come, we will make our best efforts to sell your ticket to a non-Member of the Club—crucially most of our recruits to the Membership come this way, having reacted much as Paul Cassidy has done.

Receiving and selling these unused concert tickets is quite a stressful job during the days before and after each concert. Jennie Rundle does a great job, as Members and buyers of tickets frequently tell us. We continue to look for ways to make it easier for her. Here are some:

- Let Jennie know as soon as you can that you are unable to attend.- She only needs to know the name of the season ticket holder and if possible the seat number(s).- If you can, please email Jennie rather than phoning her.- Collect your refund cash for the concert that you missed at the interval of the next concert.- Not at the next concert? Please collect cheque refunds at the end of one of the other concerts of the current season.- If you intend never to collect your refunds, as some do thus making a welcome gift to the Club, please tell her (saving her a lot of time)

Please contact Jennie 01943 609045 or
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